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45 minutes

The clams in this dish are steamed with tomatoes, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes. The flavors are simple and delicious. Dinner in under an hour never tasted so good.

Serves 4 to 6

Sea salt

1 pound linguine

Extra-virgin olive oil

4 anchovy fillets, chopped

6 garlic cloves, shaved

1 onion, diced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ cup capers, drained

1 cup hand-torn fresh basil

2 (28-ounce) cans whole plum tomatoes, drained

48 littleneck clams, scrubbed

½ cup dry white wine

Juice of 1 lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

Fill a large pasta pot with water and place over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, stir to separate, and cook for 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain well and toss with a little oil so the pasta doesn’t stick together.

Heat a 2-count drizzle of olive oil in a large pot and set over medium heat. Add the anchovies, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, capers, and ½ cup of basil. Sauté for a minute, until fragrant. Hand-crush the tomatoes to break them up into chunks. Pour them into the pan (be careful—nothing splashes quite like tomatoes) and simmer down the tomatoes until pulpy. This will take about 15 minutes. Nestle the clams in the tomato mixture and toss everything together with a large spoon. Pour in the wine and cover the pot to let the clams steam open, about 10 minutes. Add the linguine; then fold in the remaining basil, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper. Give it a good toss with more olive oil. Serve the pasta family-style on a large platter.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Chunky Tomatillo Salsa and Tomato Vinaigrette

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

with Chunky Tomatillo Salsa

and Tomato Vinaigrette

45 minutes

I love bacon and shrimp. It’s a classic combination that works really well in this Southwestern-inspired bistro dish.

Serves 4

Tomatillo Salsa

6 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and cut in chunks

2 avocados, peeled and cut in chunks

2 jalapeños, cut in circles

½ bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

½ red onion, diced

Juice of 3 limes

2 tablespoons canola oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tomato Vinaigrette

1 ripe tomato, halved, seeds squeezed out

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo

1 garlic clove

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

Shrimp

20 large shrimp (about 2 pounds), peeled and deveined, tails on

10 bacon slices, halved

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

For the tomatillo salsa, toss the tomatillos, avocados, jalapeños, cilantro, and onion together in a large bowl. Add the lime juice and canola oil, and turn to coat; season with salt and black pepper. Turn the mixture over a few times until the avocados are slightly mashed and the salsa is creamy. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare everything else.

Puree the tomato, chipotle, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, sherry vinegar, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour in the oil and puree again until emulsified and slightly thickened. Refrigerate.

Wrap each shrimp in a piece of bacon, overlapping the ends so they stick together. Place a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle with a ½-count of oil, and heat just to the smoking point. Lay the shrimp in the pan (do this in batches if it’s crowded) and sauté until the bacon is crisp, tossing so the shrimp cook evenly. To serve, spoon a mound of the tomatillo salsa on each plate. Drizzle a pool of the tomato vinaigrette and top with 5 shrimp. Garnish with green onion and cilantro leaves. This shrimp dish also works well on the grill with margaritas and a lot of beer.

Sushi

Sushi is truly one of the world’s super foods, and every time I have it, I feel like I’ve done something good for myself.

It’s high in protein and complex carbohydrates; I could eat it on a desert island for the rest of